OUR STORY
In 1997, the Ermoian Brothers, (Chris, TJ, and Jeff) and a diverse group of Waco artists and musicians sidelined their own aspirations of stardom to create a TV show featuring songwriters overlooked by mainstream media.
As Waco’s FIRST Nationally Syndicated TV show, PBS began national distribution in 1997, broadcasting weekly to 94 million households.
While TMC sought to feature unknown artists, their mission didn’t go unnoticed by Texas’ Lone Star Legends, and TMC quickly gained the favor and attention of Billy Joe Shaver, Robert Earl Keen, Gary P Nunn, Michael Martin Murphy, Jerry Jeff Walker, Lyle Lovett, Willis Alan Ramsey, and Willie Nelson who helped propel TMC and lesser known artists to new audiences.
By 1998, TMC began receiving as many as 1000 new artist submissions each month from local, regional, national, and international acts.
In 2001 TMC went International broadcasting internationally on The Armed Forces Radio and Television Services(AFRTS) who shared TMC with Service Members and their families in 167 foreign countries.
By 2002 TMC ventured into broadcasting arrangements with The Austin Music Network, METV, VH-1, ABC, and other commercial TV outlets.
In 2005 TMC moved to the campus of Texas State Technical College Waco providing invaluable hands-on experience for students to work with Cross Canadian Ragweed, Paul Thorn, Pantera, Wade Bowen, Charlie Robison, Bruce Robison, Chris Knight, and Willie Nelson’s Picnic.
By 2010 TSTC alumni, volunteers, and ex students were working at Bass Performance Hall, The Paramount Theater, Cheatham Street Warehouse, Baylor University, The Tobin Center (Adam McCoy), and on the road for Lyle Lovett, Wade Bowen, Stoney LaRue, (Chris Godbey) Beyonce, and Justin Timberlake (to name a few).
In 2014, TMC partnered with The Center for Texas Music History at Texas State University by adding more historical content to the show and recording an entire season of shows at Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos which went on to win two Telly Awards.
Starting in 2015, Texas Music Cafe® embraced new online platforms that would afford them more control and creative flexibility. TMC moved the bulk of their programming to YouTube where anyone could access TMC worldwide, 24/7, and free of charge, giving an even greater voice to the musicians they sought to serve.
Throughout the 2020 pandemic,TMC doubled-down on their commitment to help artists whose livelihood was cut off by restrictions on public gatherings. TMC supported the local arts and music community by hiring over 50 local artists/creators to make new episodes from archival footage by releasing 11 new episodes on ABC TV.
In 2021, TMC launched a new songwriter showcase hosted by local music celebrities. The program gained YouTube views for local artists, gave thousands of dollars in cash to contest winners, and donated advertising sponsorships to the nonprofit Music Association of Central Texas (MACT), and local food banks.
2022 culminated in Texas Music Cafe® returning to a new downtown television studio hosting local, regional, and national performers to perform before a live studio audience with the goal of facilitating a high quality intimate and immersive music experience designed to facilitate an unparalleled level of communication between artist and audience.
In 2023 TMC began partnering with Smith Music Group of Fort Worth, TX (Live at Billy Bob’s), to help realize the release of TMC’s 10,000 hours of audio archives. Those archives are becoming available on all streaming media platforms.
Texas Music Cafe® is now one of the state's largest and most diverse historical music archives with over 10,000 hours of Live Performance recordings featuring both Rising Stars and Lone Star Legends covering ALL STYLES of music from the melting pot of Texas and earning TMC a place in the State of Texas Historical Register. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/texas-music-cafe
2024 brings us to the former home of KWTX Radio and TV (1946-1956). Our new 100 seat theater/listening room and Live Television recording studio is located in the Cultural Arts District (directly between Magnolia Silos and Hotel 1928) at 110 S 6th Street, Waco, TX 76701.
2027 will mark the 30th Anniversary of Texas Music Cafe®
What began as a passion project transformed into a life-long commitment to supporting “the little guy” in “the music bizz”.
AUDIENCE WANTED: Come be a part of “Music History In Real Time” to experience a family friendly, Intimate, hand-crafted, concert experience, recorded LIVE before a studio audience.
